Pope Appeals To End Fighting in Libya
Catholic News Service (29 March 2011)
Pope Benedict XVI appealed for a suspension of fighting in Libya and the immediate start of a serious dialogue aimed at restoring peace to the North African country.

Vatican Nuncio Weighs in on Libya
Catholic News Service (31 March 2011)
The Vatican observer at the London conference on Libya said the situation in the North African country is forcing the international community to examine its obligation to intervene when the lives and rights of civilians are being threatened.

Libyan Bishop Calls for End to Hostilities
Catholic News Service (19 April 2011)
The apostolic vicar in
Tripoli called for a stop to the bloody conflict in Libya
and urged dialogue among the various tribes there to help
bring about peace, the Vatican missionary news agency
reported.

Vatican-Israeli Commission Progress
Catholic News Service (17 June 2011)
The Vatican and Israel
said they made good progress on financial and fiscal
issues in a top–level meeting at the Vatican.

Pope Calls for Reform in Syria
Catholic News Service (10 June 2011)
The civilian unrest
ripping through Syria and other Arab countries is a sign
that people want a better future, Pope Benedict XVI told
Syrias new ambassador to the Vatican.

Pope Meets With Biden and Abbas
Catholic News Service (3 June 2011)
Pope Benedict XVI
met with U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden in an
unannounced visit June 3.

Israeli Ambassador Praises Pius XII
Catholic News Service (29 June 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Israels ambassador to
the Vatican caused a controversy when he made unusually
positive comments about Pope Pius XIIs role in efforts to save Jews during World War II. Days later, he modified his position to say that his comments were personal and historically premature.

Video: First Take: Vatican
Catholic News Service (19 August 2011)
On todays First Take: Vatican, we look at a Vatican message calling on Muslims and Christians to work together to promote human spirituality.

Turkey Returns Properties to Non-Muslim Religious
Catholic News Service (31 August 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Turkish prime
ministers announcement that the government will return
hundreds of properties confiscated from non-Muslim
religious groups or compensate the groups for properties
sold to third parties is a historic decision, said the
Vatican nuncio to Turkey.

Catholic, Orthodox Evangelization
Catholic News Service (6 September 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In many countries,
Catholics and Orthodox face the same challenges in
strengthening Christian life, and an important part of that
effort is working together with love and respect, Pope
Benedict XVI said.

Indian Bishops Visit Vatican
Catholic News Service (7 September 2011)
ROME (CNS) — The religious nature of the
Indian people, discrimination against Catholics,
interreligious dialogue and evangelization were the main
topics of discussion when two dozen Indian bishops sat
down with Pope Benedict XVI in early September.

Order of Holy Sepulchre Welcomes Archbishop O’Brien
Catholic News Service (19 September 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Officials at the
Vatican headquarters of the Equestrian Order of the Holy
Sepulchre of Jerusalem welcomed U.S. Archbishop Edwin
F. O’Brien as their new pro-grand master.

Video: First Take: Vatican
Catholic News Service (20 September 2011)
Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem in Rome welcomes U.S. Archbishop Edwin OBrien as their newly appointed pro-grand master.

Vatican Calls for ‘Courageous’ U.N. Decision on Palestine
Catholic News Service (29 September 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Addressing the United Nations, a Vatican representative called for courageous decisions toward the two-state solution for the Holy Land after Palestinian leaders requested full U.N. membership for the Palestinian state.

Interreligious Encounter in Assisi
Catholic News Service (14 October 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Slowly and carefully,
the Vatican is setting the stage for the third edition of the interreligious prayer for peace encounter in the Italian pilgrimage town of Assisi.

Assisi Meeting Will Feature Joint Pilgrimage
Catholic News Service (19 October 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — More than 300
delegates from dozens of Christian churches, the world’s
major religions and nonbelievers will join Pope Benedict
XVI in Assisi Oct. 27 for a peace gathering focused more
on common pilgrimage than on prayer, a Vatican official
said.

Jewish Leaders Denounce Traditionalists Remarks
Catholic News Service (21 October 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Jewish groups have
called on the Vatican to suspend reconciliation talks with
a traditionalist group after one of its bishops argued that
the Jewish people were responsible for the death of Jesus.

Gadhafis Death Marks End of Oppressive Regime
Catholic News Service (21 October 2011)
VATCAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican said the
death of Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi marked the
end of a harsh and oppressive regime that was based on
power instead of human dignity.

Catholics Recall Gadhafis Brutality
Catholic News Service (25 October 2011)
BEIRUT (CNS) — Catholic leaders said they
could not rejoice at the death of Libyan dictator Moammar
Gadhafi, but they recalled some of his more brutal
moments and speculated on the future of Christians in the
region.

Pope Prays Assisi Meeting Will Foster Peace
Catholic News Service (27 October 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI
prayed that his interreligious pilgrimage to Assisi would
promote dialogue among believers of different faiths and
help the world move toward peace and reconciliation.

Assisi Participants Express a Sense of Crisis in Modern Society
Catholic News Service (28 October 2011)
ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — A common thread ran through many of the speeches and invocations of this
years prayer for peace encounter in Assisi: the uneasy
sense that the world is facing not merely conflicts and wars, but a much broader crisis that affects social and
cultural life in every country.

Pope Says Believers Must Oppose Violence to Promote Peace
Catholic News Service (28 October 2011)
ASSISI, Italy (CNS) — Taking 300 religious
leaders with him on pilgrimage to Assisi, Pope Benedict
XVI said people who are suspicious of religion cannot be
blamed for questioning Gods existence when they see
believers use religion to justify violence.

Vaticans Top Ecumenist
Catholic News Service (8 November 2011)
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The Vaticans top
ecumenist offered a frank assessment of recent ecumenical
progress and future prospects in a Washington talk Nov. 3.

Pope Meets Israeli Religious Leaders
Catholic News Service (10 November 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Dialogue is essential for religious leaders in the Holy Land, a place full of memories sacred to our traditions, but a place that each day faces challenges to living together in harmony, Pope Benedict XVI told religious leaders from Israel.

Cardinal Kurt Koch Visits Minsk
web news (17 November 2011)
VATICAN CITY, 17 NOV 2011 (VIS) — Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, has visited Minsk, the capital of Belarus, at the invitation of Filaret, Metropolitan of Minsk and Slutsk and head of the Orthodox Church of Belarus, which is dependent upon the Patriarchate of Moscow.

Catholics and Orthodox Face Common Challenges
Catholic News Service (1 December 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI
said Catholics and Orthodox have a duty to show a united
front of mature faith in facing challenges intensified by
increased secularism.

Vatican Urges ‘Real Reforms’ in Syria
Catholic News Service (6 December 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A Vatican official
deplored the growing violence in Syria, and called on
political leaders there to enact real reforms.

Israeli Ambassador on Holy Land Tattoos
Catholic News Service (9 December 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Intellectual curiosity
about a very particular aspect of Christian pilgrimages to
Jerusalem has gotten under the skin of Israels ambassador to the Holy See.

A World Day Against Christian Persecution
Catholic News Service (9 December 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A top Vatican official
called for the establishment of a world day dedicated to
raising awareness of religious injustices suffered by Christians.

Vatican Middle East Advocate Dies
Catholic News Service (12 December 2011)
DARBY, Pa. (CNS) — U.S. Cardinal John P. Foley, who spent more than two decades leading the church’s social communications council and later worked for the church in the Middle East, died Dec. 11 after a battle with leukemia.

Pope Remembers Cardinal Foley
Catholic News Service (13 December 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI said he hoped the legacy of the late Cardinal John
P. Foley would inspire others to make the Gospel known through mass media.

Catholic Press Remembers Cardinal Foley
Catholic News Service (15 December 2011)
PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — U.S. Cardinal John P. Foley, longtime Catholic journalist and
advocate of Catholic communication, was being fondly remembered after his Dec. 11
death as a friend to the Catholic press around the world.

Pope and Jewish Leader Discuss Economic Values
Catholic News Service (14 December 2011)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The free market is the
economic model that seems most consonant with biblical
teaching, but the global economic crisis demonstrates that,
without moral values, the market economy can implode,
said Great Britains chief rabbi.

Christmas Message from Jerusalem’s Patriarch
Catholic News Service (21 December 2011)
JERUSALEM (CNS) — Amid continuing turmoil in the Middle East, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal of Jerusalem sent a message of hope and support to Christians of the region.

Video: Vatican Meets With Palestinian Authority
Catholic News Service (30 January 2012)
Vatican and PLO leaders meet to discuss the church in the Holy Land, Pope Benedict releases doves for peace, and a Vatican official talks about priests attitudes during confession.

Vatican Meets With Palestinian Authority (Vatican Information Service)
web news (30 January 2012)
30 Jan 2012 – VATICAN CITY (VIS) – Made public today was a joint communique on a bilateral meeting between the Holy See and the Palestine Liberation Organisation, held in Ramallah on 28 January. The text of the English-language communique is given below.

Vatican Continues Talks With Palestinian Authority
Catholic News Service (31 January 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican and the
Palestine Liberation Organization are continuing talks
aimed at a formal agreement regulating and promoting the
presence and activity of the Catholic Church in the
Palestinian territories.

Nuncio to Syria on the Violence in Homs
Catholic News Service (10 February 2012)
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Some priests have
decided to stay in battle-scarred Homs, Syria, even as
government forces intensified their strikes against the
heart of the revolt against President Bashar al-Assad, said
the Vaticans nuncio to Syria.

Pope Calls for Dialogue in Syria
Catholic News Service (14 February 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As a sectarian conflict
in Syria intensified, Pope Benedict XVI called on all
Syrians to begin a process of dialogue and reminded the
government of its duty to recognize its citizens legitimate
demands.

Vatican Diplomat Attends Syria Summit
Catholic News Service (27 February 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A Vatican diplomat attended an international summit seeking an end to Syrias yearlong civil war.

Arab Spring Conference in Rome
Catholic News Service (1 March 2012)
Muslims and
Christians throughout North Africa and the Middle East
recognize that building a democracy is more difficult
than destroying a dictatorship, but they are committed to
realizing their dream, said one of the leaders of change in
Tunisia.

Vatican Letter to Middle East Christians
Catholic News Service (2 March 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Tension, hostility and
even violence are the daily bread of many of the Christian communities living in the biblical lands of the Middle East, said Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches.

Attacks on Christians Tripled in 2003-10
Catholic News Service (6 March 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Terrorist attacks on
Christians in Africa, the Middle East and Asia tripled in a
seven-year period, a Vatican official told a U.N. meeting.

Pope Addresses Middle East Christians
Catholic News Service (7 March 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI urged Christians in the Middle East not to lose hope despite the serious difficulties they face.

Vatican-Jewish Dialogue
Catholic News Service (2 April 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A Vatican-Jewish
dialogue commission said moderation, honesty and a fair
distribution of world resources are the ingredients for a
more just economic order.

Pope Addresses Jewish Group
Catholic News Service (11 May 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Reaffirming the
Second Vatican Councils teaching on Christianitys special relationship with Judaism, Pope Benedict XVI said Catholic-Jewish dialogue is crucial for the future of our human family.

U.S. Eastern Catholic Bishops
Catholic News Service (18 May 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Eastern Catholic
bishops in the United States share their brother bishops concerns about religious freedom and evangelization, and see their distinct liturgies as powerful tools for expanding their flocks.

Chaldeans Face Moral Risks in United States
Catholic News Service (18 May 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Iraqi Catholics fleeing
physical danger in their homeland often find themselves
unprepared for the moral threats awaiting their families in
the United States, said the head of Chaldean Catholics in
the Western U.S.

Vatican Will Not Recognize Israeli Occupation
Catholic News Service (13 June 2012)
ROME (CNS) — An eventual agreement between
Israel and the Vatican over property taxes and property
rights in no way will imply that the Vatican recognizes
Israels claims over East Jerusalem and the West Bank, a top Vatican official said.

Video: “First Take: Vatican”
Catholic News Service (3 July 2012)
“First Take: Vatican” looks at significance of pope’s trip to Lebanon for all Christians in the Middle East.

Author Rebuts Criticism of Popes on Jews
Catholic News Service (16 July 2012)
Justus George Lawlers Were the Popes Against
the Jews effectively rebuts the negative critique of the popes of the 19th and 20th centuries in David Kertzers
2001 The Popes Against the Jews and in those of even
earlier books by Daniel Goldhagen and John Cornwell. In
so doing, Lawler makes a significant contribution to what
has become an ongoing discussion among scholars and
journalists. He carefully analyzes Kertzers presentation,
showing where he fudges and manipulates historical facts
and statements.

Catholic-Jewish Dialogue
Catholic News Service (16 July 2012)
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Catholic and Jewish
scholars heard presentations on a book that one bishop
called an important milestone in Catholic-Jewish
relations and discussed mutual problems of rising school tuition and threats to religious freedom during recent dialogue sessions.

Syrian Catholic Leaders Call on World Community
Catholic News Service (18 July 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — As violence continued
to shake Syria, the Vatican nuncio in Damascus called on
the international community to unite in efforts to restore
peace.

What Catholics Can Learn During Ramadan
Catholic News Service (23 July 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Muslim holy
month of Ramadan, which started July 20 in many
countries, is a time of fasting, prayer and repentance,
when Muslims distance themselves from worldly activities
in an effort to align their lives more closely with God and
his laws.

Video:First Take: Vatican
Catholic News Service (25 July 2012)
An expert at the Vatican talks about the purpose of inter-religious dialogue.

Young Christians and Muslims Must Work Together
Catholic News Service (6 August 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Yearning and working
for freedom and peace, young Christians and Muslims
must be patient and persistent, recognizing that violence
or other apparent “short cuts” that harm others will never
lead to justice and lasting peace, said Cardinal Jean-Louis
Tauran.

Nuncio to Syria Worried for Future
Catholic News Service (22 August 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — People in Syria are
“stunned and deeply saddened and worried for the future,”
said Archbishop Mario Zenari, the Vatican nuncio to
Syria.

Vatican Laments U.S. Deaths in Libya
Catholic News Service (13 September 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In the wake of the deaths of a U.S. ambassador and three staff members in Libya and the unrest triggered by a U.S.-made amateur film hostile to Islam, the Vatican decried disrespect toward all religions and deplored all violence as unacceptable.

Vatican on Syrian Victims
Catholic News Service (18 September 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The U.N. Human Rights Council must approach the crisis in Syria from “the perspective of the victims,” and rally the international community to press for the end of hostilities and the immediate offering of humanitarian aid to the suffering, a Vatican official said.

Orthodox, Anglicans To Attend Vatican II Celebration
Catholic News Service (18 September 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury will join Pope Benedict XVI’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second V atican Council.

Middle East Religious Leaders Meet in Rome
Catholic News Service (26 September 2012)
ROME (CNS) — Western nations need to respect the people of the Middle East and trust them to solve their own problems, said an Iraqi diplomat, an Iraqi archbishop and a Syrian-born representative of the Melkite Catholic Church.

Pope Sends Cardinals to Syria
Catholic News Service (18 October 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A papal delegation of bishops, including Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, will travel to the capital of war-torn Syria in late October to show solidarity with victims and encourage peace negotiations.

Papal Trip to Syria Postponed
Catholic News Service (24 October 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The visit of a papal delegation to the capital of war-torn Syria, previously announced for late October, has been postponed indefinitely, and the delegation’s membership, which was to have included Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, will be changed.

New Maronite and Syro-Malankara Cardinals Attend Synod
Catholic News Service (25 October 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Four of the six new cardinals announced by Pope Benedict XVI Oct. 24 were participating in the world Synod of Bishops at the Vatican and had to keep their impending appointments secret as they participated in the synod’s small-group work that morning.

Church Teachings on Judaism
Catholic News Service (5 November 2012)
As the Catholic Church marks the 50th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council, many are now revisiting and studying its proceedings over the years 1962-1965. The council and its 16 resulting documents addressed relations between the Catholic Church and the world.

Married Eastern Catholic Priests
Catholic News Service (14 November 2012)
ROME (CNS) — In Eastern Christianity — among both Catholics and Orthodox — a dual vocation to marriage and priesthood are seen as a call “to love more” and to broaden the boundaries of what a priest considers to be his family, said Russian Catholic Father Lawrence Cross.

Vatican on Saudi-backed Interfaith Center
Catholic News Service (27 November 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A new Saudi-backed interfaith center will provide an opportunity for the church to promote religious freedom for Christians and others around the world, said the head of the Vatican's office for interreligious dialogue.

Vatican Praises UN Vote on Palestine
Catholic News Service (5 December 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican praised a United Nations vote making Palestine a non-member observer state but called for full recognition of Palestinian sovereignty as necessary for peace in the region.

Palestinians Celebrate UN Vote
Catholic News Service (5 December 2012)
JERUSALEM (CNS) — In the West Bank, church bells rang at the midnight announcement that the U.N. General Assembly had voted to grant Palestinians observer status.

Israeli-Palestinian Relations Call for Talks, Pope Says
Catholic News Service (18 December 2012)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Just weeks after the Vatican praised Palestine’s boosted status as a nonmember observer state at the United Nations, Pope Benedict XVI met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a private audience at the Vatican.

Bishop Affirms Importance of Catholic-Jewish Relations
Catholic News Service (16 January 2013)
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs agreed with the Vatican spokesman that derogatory comments about Jews by the head of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X were “unacceptable” in a letter to members of the U.S.C.C.B. Catholic-Jewish dialogues.

Ecumenism Calls for Justice, Kindness and Humility
Catholic News Service (17 January 2013)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Like the individual path to holiness, the ecumenical path to Christian unity requires justice, kindness and humility, Pope Benedict XVI told members of a pilgrimage from the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland.

Christian Cooperation Key to Proclaiming the Gospel, Pope Says
Catholic News Service (25 January 2013)
ROME (CNS) — Christians must work together to offer the faith they share to a world that seems to find it more and more difficult to believe, Pope Benedict XVI told Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant leaders.

New Cardinals Get their Assignments to Roman Curia
Catholic News Service (31 January 2013)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Two months after receiving their red hats, the six newest members of the College of Cardinals have received their assignments as members of Vatican congregations, councils and offices — one of the clearest ways they help Pope Benedict XVI govern the universal church.

New Pope ‘Figure of Unity’ for Catholics
Catholic News Service (13 March 2013)
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and chair of CNEWA’s board, congratulated the newly elected pope, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who took the name Francis.

Text of Pope Francis’s Remarks from Balcony
Catholic News Service (13 March 2013)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Here is the English translation of Pope Francis’s remarks delivered from the balcony after his election as pope.

Vatican Starts Construction on Family Center in Nazareth
Catholic News Service (17 April 2013)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Construction should begin soon on a large guesthouse for families on pilgrimage to the Holy Land and an international center dedicated to promoting Catholic teaching on the family.

Israeli President Invites Pope to Visit Israel
Catholic News Service (1 May 2013)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Israeli President Shimon Peres officially invited Pope Francis to Israel, telling the pope “the sooner you visit the better, as in these days a new opportunity is being created for peace, and your arrival could contribute significantly to increasing the trust and belief in peace.”

Vatican-Palestine Accord Supports ‘Two-State’ Solution
Catholic News Service (13 May 2015)
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Vatican and Palestinian representatives have finalized the text of a formal agreement recognizing freedom of religion in the “State of Palestine” and outlining the rights and obligations of the Catholic Church, its agencies and its personnel in the territory.

"Remarkable"
Catholic News Service has been charting the 50th anniversary of Vatican II online, and yesterday noted the following event from 1962:

Picture of the Day: A Visit from St. Nicholas
Anticipating the feast of St. Nicholas on 6 December, a man dressed as the saint attends Pope Benedict XVI's general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. (photo: CNS/Paul Haring)

Picture of the Day: Tweet, Tweet
Pope Benedict XVI is assisted by Thaddeus Jones of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications as he sends his first Twitter message during his general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on 12 December. (photo: CNS/Paul Haring)

Picture of the Day: Royalty
Children dressed as the Three Kings return to their seats after presenting offertory gifts to Pope Benedict XVI during Mass on the feast of Mary, Mother of God, in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican on 1 January. (photo: CNS/Paul Haring)

What's Next?
Pope Benedict XVI's historic announcement yesterday, the world has been asking a lot of questions about what the days ahead will bring.

Picture of the Day: The Pope Says Goodbye
igns salute Pope Benedict XVI with words of gratitude as he arrives to lead his final general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on 27 February. (photo: CNS/Paul Haring)

Picture of the Day: Farewell
Pope Benedict XVI addresses the College of Cardinals at the Vatican on 28 February, the final day of his papacy. (photo: CNS/L'Osservatore Romano via Reuters)

Picture of the Day: Sede Vacante
Workers remove the banner with Pope Benedict XVI's coat of arms after the pope's final public appearence as pope in the town square in Castel Gandolfo on 28 February (photo: CNS/Paul Haring)

Picture of the Day: Laying the Groundwork
Workers cover the floor of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel on 8 March in preparation for the papal conclave. Cardinal electors assembled in Rome will begin voting for the next pope 12 March. (photo: CNS/L'Osservatore Romano)

Picture of the Day: The World Watches and Waits
Huddled in the rain, people in St. Peter's Square watch on a large television monitor as cardinals enter the Sistine Chapel to begin the conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI on 12 March. (photo: CNS/Stefano Rellandini, Reuters)

Picture of the Day: Benedict Returns
The helicopter carrying Pope Benedict XVI passes the dome of St. Peter's Basilica as the retired pope returns to the Vatican on 2 May. The pope will live in a monastery in the Vatican Gardens. (photo: CNS/Paul Haring)

Picture of the Day: East Meets West
Today, the Vatican announced this coming Sunday, 19 May, Cardinal Cleemis Mar Baselios, major archbishop of the Syro-Malankara Church, will take possession of his titular church in Rome, St. Gregory VII al Gelsomino. (photo: John E. Kozar)

Picture of the Day: Harleys for His Holiness
Pope Francis is presented with a leather Harley Davidson jacket during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican on 12 June. (photo: CNS/L'Osservatore Romano via Reuters)

Picture of the Day: “To Grow Toward Unity”
Anglican Archbishop Justin Welby of Canterbury, England, and Pope Francis attend a prayer service during a private audience at the Vatican on 14 June. (photo: CNS/Stefano Spaziani, pool)

Picture of the Day: What Child Is This?
A girl in St. Peter’s Square holds baby Jesus figurines for Pope Francis to bless during his Angelus at the Vatican on 15 December. (photo: CNS/Paul Haring)

Picture of the Day: Pulp Pope
A large drawing of Pope Francis depicting him as a superhero is seen on a wall near the Vatican on 29 January. The Argentine pope is shown taking off into the air with his right fist clenched in classic Superman style. (photo: CNS/Robert Duncan)

Picture of the Day: Dessert Father
Pope Francis looks at a life-sized replica of himself made out of chocolate in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican on 5 February (photo: CNS/L’Osservatore Romano via Reuters)